LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne says NFL not on his mind 'as of now'

LSU junior cornerback Mo Claiborne is, by many accounts, gone after Monday's BCS championship game against Alabama. Claiborne, 6 feet, 185 pounds, is expected to be taken as high as third in next spring's NFL Draft and would seem to be a lock as a top 10 selection. So draft prognosticators think he'll declare for the draft after next week's game.

"As of now, the NFL is not in my mind,'' said Claiborne, from Shreveport's Fair Park High. "As of now, I'm an LSU Tiger. (After Monday's game), I'm going to sit down with (LSU Coach Les) Miles and my family and decide from there.''

If you had told Claiborne that he'd be the top cornerback draft prospect upon his high school graduation in 2009, he'd have looked at you funny, he said.

Claiborne came to LSU expecting to play wide receiver, the position he loved, though he also lined up in the secondary and played quarterback in high school.

"When I first got here, my mind was all offense,'' Claiborne said. "No defense. It was in my head, I'm not playing defense. I'm a receiver. That's what I'm going to do.''

But that changed after a seven-on-seven drill in Baton Rouge during the summer before his freshman year. Claiborne said former LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson, drafted fifth by the Arizona Cardinals last year, was running the show that day and put him on defense during the drill.

He was lined up against former Tigers wide receiver Terrence Toliver, now on the Detroit Lions practice squad. Claiborne said Toliver ran a deep route over him. But Claiborne knocked the ball down when the ball was thrown Toliver's way.

"Everybody was looking around, like (Wow),'' Claiborne said. "The next day at practice, I was over there playing corner.''

LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis said Claiborne had already caught his eye before he arrived on campus. He said the defensive coaches were itching to have Claiborne on their side of the ball.

"We knew he had a big, big, big upside,'' Chavis said. "And the biggest thing really was which side of the ball was he going to play on. And we battled that.

"But obviously the head coach (Les Miles) makes the final call. And he felt quite comfortable that we would use Mo.''

Claiborne has made the most of the move and is now glad for the switch. But he still has a soft spot for the offensive side of the ball and wouldn't mind playing there if needed, he said.

And what if Miles had decided to keep Claiborne on offense? Would Claiborne still be as coveted by NFL teams, even a first round pick?

After pausing a second Claiborne was clear: "Yeah,'' he said with a smile.